Pitterpatter
by paws-bells
Summary: ItaSaku. AU. How they ended up with four children. It was all Itachi's fault.


**Title:** Pitter-patter

**Author: **pawsbells

**Characters/Pairing: **Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Itachi

**Type:** One-shot (Complete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 6342

**Theme:** LJ Community, 50-shinobi theme #25, Pitter-patter

**Rating: **T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-san.

**Summary: **AU. How they ended up with four children; it was all Itachi's fault.

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 05/12/07

* * *

It was the soft giggles that roused her.

The sound of innocent mischief and hushed whispers tingled across her senses and even though they sounded quite distant Sakura started to stir unwillingly all the same, the pleasant dreamscape that she had been in but moments ago gradually merging with her slowly awakening consciousness.

Like most normal people the beautiful pink-haired female had no intention of getting out of her bed until she was good and ready; so naturally she tried her best to ignore the pitter-patter of little footsteps outside her door and to sink back into sleep instead.

It wasn't working, unfortunately.

For something was very wrong if _they_ were actually trying to keep quiet, and Sakura's nagging instincts were refusing to settle down at all. .

She sighed softly and eyes still firmly shut the petite woman tried one last time to burrow into the cozy warmth around her and hopefully back into sleep. At the edge of her consciousness she heard more muted whispers, though they were certainly getting louder and it was obvious to her that their sorry lack of patience would never have allowed them to remain covert for long. A small smile stretched across her peaceful features as she curled contentedly against the steady source of heat beside her.

The door to her bedroom swung open quietly, and the soft giggles that strained into the room was unmistakable this time.

"Shh! You will wake them!" A childish voice reprimanded her partner-in-crime with the great authority of a five-year old, inadvertently raising her own volume in the process.

Too late, little one, Sakura thought with mild amusement. She was already fully awake despite herself and judging from the slight tightening of the arm wrapped snugly around her waist, so was Itachi. Emerald eyes opened fully as the petite pink-haired female looked up into the watchful gaze of her husband. Like her, he was sleep-tousled, onyx eyes dark and half-lidded from just waking up and long untied raven hair flowing untamed all around his broad shoulders. It was such a rare moment; he looked so languid and relaxed and Sakura could not help but tilt her head slightly upwards to give him a small affectionate kiss on his cheek. In response, the normally stoic Uchiha returned her affection by gently nuzzling his nose down the elegant curve of her jaw.

His morning whiskers tickled her and she gasped softly with silent laughter. Onyx eyes glinted with mild amusement and Sakura rolled her eyes with exasperation. At the other side of the gigantic room the couple was just in time to hear the other sibling offering a cheerful apology that sounded anything but apologetic to his bossy sister. The tiptoeing footfalls continued to approach them.

"Your children are up to something again." Sakura murmured against Itachi, her soft voice rich with humor.

Her husband merely glanced askance at her.

"They are your children too; your presence had been most crucial for their creation, or have you forgotten?" His beautiful tenor had a slightly roughened quality from sleep but Sakura didn't mind it one bit. She simply adored spending lazy mornings with her family. Unfortunately those were quite rare and far in between; what with Itachi being the Chief of Police and herself heading the Neurology and Neurosurgery Department in the Tokyo University Hospital it was uncommon for either of them to afford the time to just laze around in bed—or spend extra time with the children.

Sakura turned slightly pink at the reminder of her children's conception that day nearly six years ago, of where they both were and what they obviously _shouldn't_ be doing. Geez, it had happened so long ago and she shouldn't even be blushing just at its mere mention! Unfortunately, the pink-haired female could feel herself becoming even redder under the increasingly interested stare of her husband, and with a soft exclamation of disbelief and embarrassment she promptly hid her flushed face against his chest, much to his quiet amusement.

"Itachi…" Her muffled voice was slightly exasperated. "Of course I remember…"

How could she forget? He had looked so devastatingly handsome in full uniform on that day of his inauguration as the highest ranking official in the police force and she had worn a little black dress that he had wanted off her on sight. Sakura could still remember the way his eyes had darkened when he looked at her, the way sparks seemed to jolt through her system every time he touched her…it had made for an extremely interesting night if nothing else.

And he had given her the twins.

As if their mother's very thought had summoned them to her side, Uchiha Nadare and Miyabi appeared before their parents. Two identical heads of shiny raven appeared within her line of sight as she raised her head from her husband's shoulder, and twin pairs of emerald eyes the exact shade as hers focused intently upon both Itachi and herself.

"Otou-san, Okaa-san! Both of you are already up!" Nadare, the oldest of the pair, sounded rather disappointed by that fact.

By her side, the younger by five minutes Miyabi chirped a similar greeting. Mischievous or not, they were simply too well taught by their Uchiha relatives to even think about disrespecting their parents.

Unlike his sister, the youngest Uchiha didn't seem to be very surprised to see both his parents awake and eyeing them with amusement in their eyes. He had told Nadare that the idea had been a foolish one from the very beginning but Nadare was nothing if not extremely headstrong and stubborn, and so he had just shrugged and went along with the flow.

Unlike most Uchiha males who would have been quite stubborn and headstrong themselves, handsome little Miyabi who could have passed as a carbon copy of his father when his sire was at his age was quite the sunny child. He was happy-go-lucky, the diplomatic little peacemaker and the one most likely to give way in a fight with his bossier elder sister. Just where he got his odd traits was certainly something both sets of grandparents loved to analyze; as sedate as Itachi was most of the time even he was not half as agreeable as his son and needless to say, Sakura herself had been a mini terror during her own childhood years.

Of course, this didn't mean that Miyabi had not taken after his parents at all; he did. The young boy held his mother's penchant for laughter and mischief-making and when literally forced into a situation he didn't like, could become just as arrogant and as mulish as any Uchiha worth his salt. It was a most interesting combination.

Itachi eyed his pouting offspring rather placidly. There was really no question from whom she had learnt that tendency to cutely jut out her lower lip and show those watery puppy eyes from. No one in the Uchiha clan could pull it off as perfectly as she did and it was a fact that he had seen Sakura do the same thing millions of times before. Even the normally stern Fugaku could not resist or bear to reprimand the adorable little girl for her 'unbecoming Uchiha behavior'. His daughter had all the important men in her life neatly wrapped around her little finger and she probably knew it too. This was how the mighty fall, indeed.

"A small suggestion, Nadare. You may want to be more discreet and plan your operation in advance if you wish to ensure a better chance of success in your endeavor to ambush your mother and myself."

The dry tone in his voice was unmistakable, and Miyabi grinned boyishly when he detected it. He smirked at his sister, that same infamous Uchiha smirk that never failed to set Sakura off whenever she saw it on Itachi's face. "Toldya that it wouldn't work." The youngster quipped. "Daddy is the best policeman in the world and Mommy, well, mommy is a Mommy. She probably knew what we were up to even before we left our room!"

Her son's faith in his parents' omni-potent abilities made her smile. Itachi was similarly amused. Their children were so innocent that she wished sometimes that they would forever remain that way.

"Thank you for thinking so highly of us, Miyabi." The beautiful pink-haired female shifted her attention to her daughter next. Nadare was still pouting something fierce and looked to be on the verge of a full out sulk anytime soon. Sakura sighed inwardly with wry exasperation.

Itachi may not seem like it, but he spoiled their daughter way too much. So does Fugaku, Mikoto and Sasuke, come to think of it. Females were rarely born into the Uchiha clan, it seems, and so everyone was more than willing to indulge and pamper the newest female addition to the family in what seemed like four generations. This certainly explained why her little Nadare was well on her way to growing into an extremely obstinate and headstrong female who would take no nonsense from anyone and give a lot of grief to all who dared oppose her, much to the immense pride of her grandparents and the chagrin of both Sakura and Itachi. Nadare's stubborn and bossy behavior would have bordered dangerously near bullying in school had it not been the fact that she was quite the staunch defender of the weak and would fiercely protect anyone whom she felt was being harassed by larger classmates. The fact that Miyabi would often throw his lot in with her made the Uchiha twins a most formidable foe to cross in school, never mind the fact that they were only in nursery grade.

"Nadare." Surprisingly, Itachi spoke before she could open her mouth to coax her daughter out of her little temper. Her husband sounded calm as usual but there was a hint of steel in his quiet voice that had both children straightening up and looking intently at him.

"You are an Uchiha, are you not?"

With slight bemusement Sakura watched as her entranced children nodded their heads firmly. Pride in their name had been ingrained within their heads almost from the very moment they were born. It was an Uchiha thing, she supposed.

Itachi's gaze was serious and stern.

"Then you should know that Uchihas do not sulk; sulking is for people who know that they are wrong but are yet too cowardly to admit their mistakes. My children are none of the abovementioned and therefore you will stop sulking now and refrain from indulging in such an appalling behavior from now on, is that clear?" Without waiting an answer, Itachi continued.

"We do not waste time feeling sorry for ourselves. If at first you do not succeed, never give up. Wallowing in self-pity will never get you anywhere. Try and try again until you reach your goal. Learn from your mistakes and never repeat them. There is always a solution to your problem. If you cannot see it right away; you may need to look at the matter from a different angle." Itachi continued speaking in the exact same manner that Fugaku had used on him nearly two and a half decades ago. Then eying his daughter again, he asked her.

"Nadare, is there anything you wish to say to us after your inappropriate display?"

The little girl knew that her father meant business when he was using that scarily quiet tone on her. The raven-haired child grimaced inwardly. She knew that she was in the wrong; her father was certainly nothing like Mikoto obaa-san and would definitely never allow her to push her luck with him like she often did with her overindulging grandparents.

Properly chastised, Nadare bowed her head apologetically. "Gomen ne, Otou-san, Okaa-san." The adorable little girl murmured most solemnly. "My behavior was wrong and I promise not to do it again."

Her little daughter was such a picture of miserable contriteness that Sakura felt her heartstrings twinge in sympathy. However, the pink-haired female said nothing to defend her child. Itachi was correct; Nadare's petulant behavior may be considered adorable now but it was simply not an acceptable trait she wanted to foster within her daughter and therefore it had to be corrected while Nadare was still young. Itachi was certainly a lot better at correcting and enforcing certain types of behavior than she was; having grown up within the prominent but strict Uchiha clan and been taught by Fugaku himself. Confidence and tenacity were among the many traits actively encouraged within the clan as they would contribute towards the formation of an assertive and powerful leader in the future but there was certainly no place for petulance and sullenness. As it was, Nadare's apology was startlingly genuine and matured for a child her age. There wasn't even a hint of anger or temper present in her humble tone and that spoke for itself just how effective Itachi was in taking their children to task. Sakura herself would never have had the heart or the will to maintain the necessary grim look—and tone to bring across to the twins just how displeased she had been by their attitudes. It was really a good thing that Itachi had no such problem when it came to such necessary discipline.

However, the beautiful Mrs. Uchiha wondered wryly if her husband was aware that in the process of imparting this life lesson to the twins he had also indirectly encouraged them to stalk and employ whatever means they could come up with to try to successfully ambush and catch their parents by surprise as often as possible. But then again, knowing Itachi and having heard what he had said earlier about never giving up and looking at things from a different point of view Sakura really wouldn't be surprised if that insanely intelligent husband of hers had purposely set this up as a fun training exercise for the young twins to utilize their planning and thinking skills. Life was about learning after all, and Itachi would definitely want to give his offspring a head start down that particular road of self-accumulated knowledge and experience.

Judging by the speculating glint in Miyabi's bright verdant eyes, her son had probably already extracted the information that his father was trying to tell him without words. Nadare probably would get the point as well once she got over her father's reprimand and had time to mull over his words. Sakura sighed with amused exasperation.

Oh well, this would definitely make their lives a little more interesting than they already were.

Itachi paused for a moment or two to allow little Nadare to reflect upon her own promise and actions before giving his daughter a small, satisfied nod. Stern onyx eyes warmed with approval as his entire stance changed and became more relaxed and openly receptive to his children once more.

"That's a good girl."

Very glad that little scene was finally over, Sakura was the first one to respond.

"Why are the two of you trying to creep into here at," The pink-haired female glanced at the side table to where a clock was sitting. "_7 a.m._ on a Saturday morning anyway?" Sakura asked, quite surprised.

At the question from their mother, the mildly putout twins started to become excited once more.

"That's because today's a special day!" Miyabi piped up. Still a little muted than usual but not by much, Nadare nodded in agreement. Sakura exchanged a small glance with Itachi. They were both quite aware of what this 'special' day was about, of course, but just for the fun of it Sakura proceeded to tease the children.

"Is that so?" The pink-haired female asked; a most playful light twinkling in her bright verdant eyes. "I don't remember today being any special other than for it being a weekend…"

The horrified looks on the children's faces were so amusing that Sakura nearly burst out into laughter. Identical green eyes rounded with disbelief and small mouths hung open with shock. Beside her, onyx eyes glinted with mild amusement.

Nadare and Miyabi just could not believe their ears. Were their parents joking?!

"You can't forget this day!" Finally stunned into being her usual argumentative self again, the little raven-haired five-year old demanded. "You are our parents!"

"Oh?" This time it was Itachi who replied most nonchalantly, the little game that Sakura was playing with the children just too entertaining to miss. "Is that supposed to have anything to do with today's significance?"

"Of course!" Miyabi blurted out, his wide green eyes about to fill with a little hurt. How could their parents forget their special day? Weren't they supposed to be their precious ones? "Today's our birthday, how could you have forgotten?"

Sakura was quick to assure the children that she had not forgotten at all. "Of course we didn't forget, silly." The petite woman answered sweetly. "We were just teasing the two of you. Come here, both of you, and let your mommy give you a birthday kiss."

Obediently and more than a little relieved that everything had been staged by their parents, Miyabi and Nadare were more than willing to gather over to their mother's side of the bed to receive her wonderful kisses and the best hugs anyone could give.

"Happy fifth birthdays, my little babies." Sakura murmured affectionately to her twins as Itachi kept a watchful eye over his family. Then the children looked over to him.

"Daddy, you are bringing us to Tokyo Disneyland later, right? You promised, remember?"

They looked so anxious that Itachi nodded immediately to assuage their worries. Sakura had told him once that their parents had brought the kids to the world famous amusement park so many times that it wasn't the attraction itself that made them so anxious to visit; it was the fact that both Sakura and Itachi seldom had the spare time to indulge their children by participating in family outings and as young as Nadare and Miyabi were they only wanted to spend more time with their parents. As such, this weekend had been planned months in advance. Both their hectic schedules had been resolutely cleared and reorganized to be fitted into other days just so that the whole family could enjoy their time together in peace and without the rude intrusion of work and obligations.

To tell the truth, Sakura herself had been looking forward to this weekend for quite sometime already. She could not wait to spend some quality time with her family and to top it off there was something that she had recently discovered and wanted to announce to her little family of four.

However, as eager as she was, seven o'clock in the morning was definitely too early even for her tastes!

"I don't think Disneyland is open this early, loves." Sakura murmured to her excited children. "Why don't we all take a little nap first until it is a little later before we start to prepare for the trip?" At the twins' disappointed faces Sakura hurriedly explained. "The two of you are up so early; you are going to exhaust yourselves quickly later when we get there. You don't want that, do you?"

Their mother made perfect sense of course, but still the kids hesitated.

"Can we sleep with you?" Miyabi asked at last.

Sakura exchanged a glance with Itachi. When the twins were a lot younger they often shared the bed with their parents, happily luxuriating within the wonderful scent of their mother and the protective warmth of their father. After the age of three though, Itachi had gently but firmly put his foot down, and had slowly weaned them from depending on their parents overly much. However, today was a special occasion of course, and Itachi nodded. Sakura smiled. It was so long since she had felt little bodies snuggled up trustingly against hers. However, with the current situation that she was in though it wouldn't be long before it happened again.

The petite pink-haired female extended her arms towards her children. "Come on. Hop on in!"

With happy smiles and little cheers, the children immediately prepared to cannonball into their parents' huge bed via their mother's side. Before they could do so however, their father stopped them easily with a small shake of his head.

"Do not jump on your mother." Itachi's voice was soft and melodious as usual but his tone all but demanded to be heeded. Nadare and Miyabi stared at him inquisitively and he explained; dark onyx eyes pinned straight into Sakura's as he did so. "She is currently in a delicate condition." The tall male explained much to his wife's surprise. How did he know?!!

Before Sakura could ask however, Itachi continued firmly. "The two of you may climb in properly to share the bed, however. Just be careful of your mother."

The twins followed their father's instructions obediently but were still frowning slightly with incomprehension by the time they had settled down in the middle of the bed in between their parents. Knowledge was power, and they were raised from the cradle to be inquisitive and were always actively encouraged to question anything that pricked their curiosity.

"What does that mean?" Nadare asked at last. "Why is mommy delicate?"

The question had Sakura looking a little anxious. She had been thinking long and hard how to break the news to the children ever since she knew of her pregnancy four days ago and had been worried that the twins would be upset by the news. What if they felt threatened by the new baby?

"Your mother is pregnant." Itachi answered so unperturbedly that Sakura was immediately inclined to take his lead and relax as well. "She is going to have a baby."

It didn't take long for Miyabi to decipher the meaning behind his father's words despite the fact that he was feeling quite sleepy at the moment, gently lulled by his parents' warmth and all.

"We are going to have a new sibling?" The raven-haired boy asked drowsily, seemingly not at all concerned by that piece of news.

"When?" Nadare asked as well, her eyes sliding shut despite her best efforts to curb it. A new little brother or sister. A new playmate. This may be exciting. "And how did mommy get the baby inside her in the first place?"

Sakura promptly felt herself turning bright red at her daughter's innocent question. How indeed. Her mortified emerald eyes immediately met gently amused onyx ones.

"Go to sleep now." Itachi chose to answer his children softly instead, running long fingers absently through their soft, silky hair. "We will discuss this later, when we are all awake and properly refreshed."

The assurance was apparently enough for the twins; they fell into deep sleep moments later.

Sakura was still bright red when Itachi shifted the children nearer together and covered them securely with a comforter. Then he looked over at her.

"How did you know?" She asked him immediately.

The glint in his onyx eyes was dark and filled with so much masculine satisfaction that Sakura felt her mouth go dry and her heart beat frantically against her ribcage. She licked her lips nervously and waited for an answer.

"I wasn't sure." He spoke at last, hand reaching over to her to play absently with her silky pink locks. "You were acting strangely and it was rather reminiscent of the way you behaved when you were pregnant with the twins. So I suspected."

It made sense; Itachi was always so observant that he probably noticed the changes within her even before she did. Sakura eyed him a little sourly. "What do you mean I was acting strangely?"

In response to her question, his eyes darkened even further if possible. He gave her a careless shrug, his beautiful eyes never leaving hers for a second. "It was the normal things; you missed your periods, the sudden aversion you had towards the smell of your favorite seafood, your most ridiculous cravings for whipped cream and pickles, you tire more easily than usual and most of all," A sexy smirk appeared on his lips. "You became so much more demanding…and _insatiable_."

If Sakura wasn't tomato red before this, she definitely was now.

"Am I correct?" His long fingers quit playing with her hair to stroke her cheek with gentle affection. Sakura felt herself leaning into his touch.

"When did you start to suspect?" Sakura asked in a shy whisper.

Itachi briefly calculated the date in his head. "…three weeks back."

Sakura was so surprised that she started. "Three weeks back?" She echoed incredulously. He was so in tuned with her that it was ridiculous! "I only knew four days ago! Why didn't you mention anything about it?"

Itachi merely eyed his agitated wife calmly, fingers stroking her gently to settle her back down. It wouldn't do for her to be so stressed. "I may be wrong and even if I wasn't, you would probably want to tell me yourself."

Once again, he was right of course. Sakura had been most excited by her news and could hardly wait to share it with her family. "The department was integrating a new program with the existing ones and it had been so hectic for me that I hadn't even realized anything until this week…" The pink-haired female admitted wryly. "I still can't believe that you knew before me, Itachi."

Itachi merely smiled. She was so much more important to him than she knew. It really hadn't been hard for him to detect any changes occurring within her; he was that sensitive to her wellbeing.

"How far along are you?" He asked instead, wanting to know as much as he could about this new life growing within her womb.

"Dr. Shiroda told me that I am probably around ten weeks, and everything seems fine as far as she could see."

"Ten weeks?" Itachi mused. His eyes started to glint with something else when comprehension dawned. "When, Sakura?"

Sakura did not understand. She frowned slightly at him. "What do you mean 'when'?"

His lips twitched slightly.

"When was this," His hand reached down towards her still-relatively flat tummy and cupped her gently. "conceived?"

Sakura pinkened rapidly when she finally caught onto his meaning. Mortified, she hissed at him. "_Itachi_! Must you ask this here? The children-"

"The children are fast asleep, and you are avoiding my question." He answered her in a most patient tone. His eyes, though, told her the real story. They were laughing silently at her. Sakura turned even redder. Damn him.

"I don't remember." She tried to fib. Unfortunately he wasn't letting her off the hook that easily. Slowly caressing her belly with an unconscious tenderness that immediately reminded Sakura just why she had loved being pregnant around him, he arched a brow at her.

"Yes, you do, Sakura. Don't lie to me."

Badly flustered now, the beautiful pink-haired female could only stare at her husband with darkening emerald eyes.

"...it was that day, at the hospital, I think." She admitted at last. The knowing look in his mysterious eyes told her immediately that he had suspected as much. Sakura bit her lips and turned a darker red at the memory.

Sakura remembered that period of time rather well; there had been a highly publicized brain surgery led by herself and her team of extremely competent surgeons and nurses and those days had been so hectic in preparation for the operation that she had often missed her meals. How Itachi knew that she was abusing herself and generally working herself into a state of exhaustion she still had no idea, but her husband had made a rare, surprise visit to the hospital during lunchtime that day all the same. Sakura remembered being startled by his unexpected presence within her office; she had planned to breeze in to collect some paperwork before hurrying off to discuss something with the Dean of Medicine but had found him lounging casually in her seat, eyeing his surroundings with careless interest instead. Genuinely surprised by his presence because it was well-known to her that his workload and responsibilities were normally even heavier than hers, she had been about to ask about the reason for his unexpected appearance when he had informed her in that normal tranquil way of his that her agenda for the remainder of the day had been cancelled and her entire timetable rescheduled so as to allow her to adopt a healthier working conduct.

Being one who was most conscientious about her work and patients, to say that Sakura had been furious about his interference had not been an understatement. The beautiful female had been so angry with her husband that it had been a good thing that the office was solidly soundproofed. Sakura could not understand why Itachi just could not mind his own business and coupled with the stress of the pending high profile surgery and the expectations she had for herself, one thing led to another and before she knew it she was being firmly restrained by her own stethoscope as Itachi took her on her own table, all paperwork and stationeries swept onto the floor as he kept her firmly pinned to the table with his deeply seated thrusts and hot, wet kisses.

It really was a good thing that her office was solidly soundproofed.

And of course, Itachi got his way in the end. Still dazed by their extremely passionate encounter, Sakura hadn't put up much of a fight as he escorted her out of the hospital grounds and loaded her into the waiting vehicle that chauffeured them straight home. Surprisingly enough though, he had remained with her for the rest of the day, watchfully making sure that she ate enough and distracting her from even attempting to worry about her work. With the children at their grandparents' residence, the couple had managed to spend a rare, uninterrupted afternoon together lazing in bed, making sweet, sweet love, and generally luxuriating themselves in each other's company.

It had been a good day to conceive the little one now resting within her.

Sakura placed her own hand over Itachi's above her abdomen. She lifted her eyes to his.

"You are pleased about this?" She asked him quietly.

Itachi was shot her a mildly annoyed look. "Do you always have to ask questions to the obvious?" He retorted in response. Sakura merely continued staring at him unrepentantly, not at all apologetic for wanting to hear the words from him and looking slightly exasperated but in an indulging manner, Itachi acquiesced gracefully to her demand. She was so different from him in so many ways; a rare creature with a sweetly compassionate nature and a huge loving heart, she required frequent assurances of affection from her mate and he was more than happy to provide her.

"Yes, I am very pleased." the Uchiha confirmed unfalteringly. "Most of all, I am ecstatic that you are carrying again. It is about time, and rather fitting if you think of it." At Sakura's curious look, Itachi explained with a small smile. "Nadare and Miyabi were conceived over at the precinct and this one," He curled long fingers slightly over her womb. Protective. "This one was probably created in the hospital. We are about even, don't you think?"

Sakura could not help herself. She smiled. Careful of the slumbering twins between them, the small woman crept over towards her husband and laid her head against his strong shoulder, sighing softly in the process.

"I hope that we will have a sweet little girl this time." Sakura commented idly. "Miyabi would probably take to the role of an overprotective brother very well. So will Nadare actually, not that she isn't such a fierce little protectress already."

Itachi merely 'hn'-ed in response. They already had one of either gender and thus the sex of the new baby didn't really matter to him. "If it's a boy," The raven-haired male observed; voice suspiciously bland. "We can always try again." Onyx eyes glinted. "Hopefully we will be nowhere near either of our workplace when it happened."

Sakura stared at her husband with genuine surprise. "Again?" She squeaked softly. "Nobody said anything about trying again!"

Itachi merely stared at her, a small smirk starting to surface on his face. He wondered if she was aware just how much it pleased him to see her rounded with his child, beautiful heart shaped face aglow with pregnancy and those brilliant green eyes shining with love. Was there any wonder why he had been looking forward to getting her impregnated again?

"Our parents would be most overjoyed by the new additions to the family." Itachi provided almost helpfully and Sakura nodded distractedly. Fugaku, Mikoto and her parents would definitely be over the moon at the notion of more grandchildren to spoil, but…

"But the twins…"

"You worry too much. It is highly unlikely that the twins would feel left out." Itachi interjected effortlessly. "Judging by their reactions earlier, they are old enough to understand that the new baby would not be a threat to them." Onyx eyes gleamed with speculation, then Itachi continued speaking. "The baby, however, would probably have to deal with the close bond between Nadare and Miyabi. He may feel left out…"

Sakura was immediately eying her husband with mild suspicion in her eyes. "How are you so sure that we will be having a boy?" She asked.

Itachi shrugged. "Just a hunch." He replied so smoothly and confidently that Sakura groaned to herself. She had no idea how he did it, but nine out of ten times his hunches proved to be on the spot. If he felt that the fetus within her was male…

Sakura glared balefully at her husband. She had wanted to be surprised, damned it. Now that he had hinted at the gender of the baby she was probably going to be quite anxious to know.

"You are aware that any child we have stand a chance of coming out with my pink hair right?" Sakura demanded. "And that includes boys as well, obviously."

Itachi arched an eyebrow at her. She was grasping at straws and they both knew it. He could practically smell his victory already.

"That is rather unlikely. The Uchiha blood is strong." He replied all the same. And it was true. Both Nadare and Miyabi had been born with full heads of the trademark Uchiha hair and pitch black eyes that didn't change to their current shade of emerald until they were almost a week old. "And it doesn't matter even if our son has your hair. He will learn to accept it as part of his heritage and be confident enough to defend it if need be."

It really figured that he already had all the answers on hand. Itachi always did his homework in advance and it made Sakura frown to think why on earth he was suddenly so eager to have her all fat and waddling about like a duck.

"Why are you so eager to get me pregnant?" Sakura questioned suspiciously. "Not that I am not already, but what was the point of going through this trouble to convince me to conceive again?"

His eyes glinted with languid amusement and something a little darker. "If you do not know," He purred at last. "I'm certainly not going to tell you."

His less than satisfactory answer irritated her of course. Sakura huffed with exasperation and tried immediately to pull away from him. She didn't succeed, of course, and neither did she try to wriggle away again when he lowered his head and kissed her deeply on the lips, taking a brief taste of her when she parted them quite accidentally and withdrawing from her only when there were stars in her eyes.

Thin, sensual lips curved gently at the glazed look on her beloved face.

"…alright." She whispered at last; still quite bemused by his sudden affection, her lips slightly reddened and kiss-swollen. Onyx eyes gleamed with gentle affection for his little mate. She was so very responsive to him and he loved that the most about her.

Sakura's eyes regained their focus eventually and almost immediately she appeared quite adorably disgruntled by Itachi's low handed ways as per normal. But she had already given her agreement to him and if she was being honest to herself, she had no real intention of taking it back either.

"One more after this and no more." Sakura stated firmly, mild annoyance still evident in her eyes for being openly tricked into this. In response, the suddenly very affectionate Uchiha merely nuzzled his nose against the sensitive skin behind her ears. Sakura shivered. "I-ta-chi…" The pink-haired female protested softly. "I mean it! We barely have time to spend with the kids as it is and I don't want to overstretch that time overly much."

"That is agreeable." Itachi murmured at last, tongue flicking out to have a taste of her sensitive earlobe. Sakura shuddered with pleasure.

"Stop!" She gasped out breathily. "The children-"

Before she could even finish he had quit nosing around her ear and was back to dropping little kisses on her mouth. All of a sudden Itachi was so 'frisky' that the mildly nonplussed female had no idea what to make of the sudden situation.

"You make me very happy, Sakura." The handsome Uchiha stated softly after landing a particularly firm kiss on her lips. She stared at him with dark emerald eyes.

"I love you."

He was a man who normally preferred to show his love for her through actions. She was never in doubt of his love for her of course, but still his vocal declaration was so very rare that tears actually filled her eyes whenever she heard him say the words. This time was no different; in fact, the waterworks might be a mite bigger thanks to her current pregnant state.

Sakura smiled at him tearily. Damn hormones.

"I love you too, Itachi."

_

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::owari::

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**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

I have never written future fics of this kind before, so please forgive me if it came out a little odd. I had been inspired when I was watching a National Geographic documentary called 'In The Womb'. It was most educational and I was most fascinated by all the many processes of fetal development when we are all in our mothers' wombs. Yup, I'm a documentary geek, I know.

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Miyabi means 'elegance' and Nadare means 'avalanche' in Japanese. I borrowed the name 'Nadare' from the flame dragon in the anime Recca no Honou, actually. They don't really have any significant meanings, so don't sprain your brain worrying too much about that.

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And you don't have to tell me; I know that Itachi is majorly OOC but I just can't see him being his canon self and still become a good father and husband. Still, my apologies to anyone out there who are feeling disgruntled by the way I have just slaughtered Itachi's uber cool character.

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Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic, thank you.

--paws


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